A mouth prep or bite block has previously been used by dentists or veterinarians to space apart the lower jaw (mandible) from the upper jaw (maxilla) for performing a dental or medical procedure. Use of a prop or bite block holds the mouth open but has substantial limitations in that it does not maintain the upper and lower jaws in a fixed relationship. A conventional mouth prep and bite block permits the animal to further open up its mouth and reposition the bite block during the medical or dental procedure or possibly expel the bite block entirely from the mouth. A conventional muzzle will restrain the mouth of the animal but does not provide adequate access and/or exposure of the teeth in the mouth to perform a dental or medical procedure. For example, when cleaning teeth, the lower and upper teeth must be adequately spaced apart and the teeth must be exposed at the gumline where tartar forms.
The apparatus of the present invention not only holds the mouth of an animal open but establishes a fixed spacial relationship between the upper and lower jaws for performing a medical or dental procedure. Moreover, the apparatus of the subject invention permits the spacing between the upper and lower jaws to be adjusted to accommodate different size animal mouths.